The Shadow's Heart
by Shaibelle
Summary: The tragedy of Shuyin and Lenne retold. Chapter 5 is finally up!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

It's night over the city of Zanarkand; all is silent, calm, and peaceful. The people are all in their homes sleeping, it seems a strange hush has fallen over them. The moon's eerie glow casts heavy shadows across the city. These moonlit rays hit the tall spires gently, enveloping them in a soft haze.

The water this night is calm, tiny ripples resonating about rocks and various trees. A few water creatures stir the water, leaving sudden silvery flashes across the surface. A strange scent none have ever understood before wafts its way across the sea to quietly smother the island, the cause goes unknown.

This is the first night in months everything has been peaceful; the first true night of security after the end of the war. This calm, the Eternal Calm as some call it was not caused by simple standing and waiting, but by the sacrifice of thousands of people. This includes hundreds of Summoners and their Guardians. Among these some are the familiar, others are not, but no matter whether they are known or not, but two stand far above the rest.

Down at Zanarkand docks stands a lone figure, her shadow gleams an indigo blue stretching across a patch of dark seawater. Her soft hair waves lazily in the night breeze and as she turns to stare at the large moon overhead her two eyes glint as if perfect mirrors of the celestial being hovering in mid-heaven. Her small feminine hand comes up to her lips and a shrill whistle shatters the silence of the night; the great city seems to suddenly shake with anger.

The small-framed female staggers back a step at the wind's sudden fury; she falls to the wooden boards beneath her and lets out a surprised cry. She remains here for quite some time, minutes, maybe even hours. As if out of nowhere footsteps can be heard and slowly they come up and softly stop just behind her; the gentle deep breathing of a man, a lover.

This new figure leans forward next to the girl's ear and whispers, "I'm here, Lenne."

At the sound of her name, Lenne's eyes flash open to reveal her perfect pair of luminescent orbs. The young man's fingers run down her arm to gently pull her hand into his; she does nothing. He carefully pulls her to her feet and lays his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Finally turning from the moon to face him, Lenne's violet eyes shift back as she sadly tries to smile.

He frowns slightly, his eyes shadowed out by moonlit strands of whitish-blonde hair. She runs her hands over his armor and finally gets a half-hearted smile to appear. That smile is short lived as he starts to speak once again, "They're sending me to the front lines," he grows silent for a few seconds before continuing in an almost happy tone trying to lighten things, "I'll be fighting for you; doesn't that account for anything."

Lenne brushes his hair from his face to reveal two azure spheres staring back at her in concern. She looks out to sea then turns towards the Blitzball stadium saying, "Don't you get it? This isn't a game Shuyin; people are dying out there. You're my last Guardian…I could never replace you, not in a thousand years." Shuyin lets go of her shoulders as she begins to pace, her suede boots tapping softly against the wood. She spins to face him, "What if you die out there!"

Shuyin smiles and shakes his head, "I won't die."

Lenne's soft features grow angry and she starts to walk back down the dock, "You can't promise that; you can't promise anything."

Shuyin leans against a light post oddly placed and stares down at the water only a few feet below. Before Lenne can get much farther away he turns to face her, his hair swaying ever so slightly. He calls out, "I don't have a choice, you know that, Lenne."

The young songstress continues walking, annoyed at her Guardian for more reasons than she can put in words, or even in song. Entering the main street of the city Lenne finally looks back to Shuyin standing alone on the dock watching her leave, a look of simple sadness. She comes to a stop near a small restaurant of some kind and stands there waiting for the young blitz player to come after her.

She turns her eyes to the starry sky overhead, the moon still not quite high enough to see over the rest of the buildings. The haze over the buildings is in a strange way a pretty sight that inspires a flurry of words deep inside Lenne, the makings of a future song. While sitting and waiting Shuyin stands just around the corner thinking about what would happen if he was killed at the front lines and everything Lenne would suddenly have to face alone.

He stands watching her with a look of happiness as she plays with the beaded earrings he gave her. He takes note of every detail of her as to never forget, the way she smiles, her graceful movements, her long cascading hair, and the silky haze of peace that filled her eyes. Shuyin stares at the wood beneath his feet and sighs softly before walking out into the open to his love.

At first Lenne takes no notice, but the chains hanging from his belt clink together giving him away. Her soft eyes fall on him and she blinks sadly. He walks up and gently places her hands in his saying, "Don't worry cause I'll come back."

Lenne's voice comes out gentle and loving this time, "I know you will."

Shuyin smiles slightly as Lenne wraps her arms around him and starts to shake softly. He knew she was afraid of something, but he wasn't sure what; he strokes her hair wondering what to say that could comfort her. Both stand in their loving embrace in utter silence for quite some time when Lenne suddenly starts to cry. Shuyin not being very experienced in this area stands there slightly confused stroking her back trying to ask what's wrong.

Lenne doesn't reply and Shuyin is left concerned and confused as she starts to shake more violently than before. Finally convinced it's something more serious he carefully picks her up and starts walking, "We're taking you home," is all he says despite her protests. So, the Guardian carries his lady Summoner eight blocks back to their home.

Despite the money both have, they chose to live in a simple home on the outskirts of Zanarkand where they could see the ocean at all hours of the day. Their home was as normal and about as small as they came in Zanarkand. It was in the relative shape of what appeared to the front half of a boat and was elevated to one of the higher street levels in the city. Small unrailed bridges crossed the gap between their home and the streets that led to the rest of the city.

It is here that Shuyin brings his beloved and gently lays her in a large bed with a frame embroidered with wire flowers. The bed was brought from Lenne's home when they moved in; only a few items came from Shuyin's. Shuyin sits on the bed at Lenne's side, humbly getting anything she requests. The Summoner's Violet eyes eventually close and don't reopen.

Shuyin kisses her forehead and carefully removes her boots and gloves, leaving them by the door as he walks out into the main room. He turns a dial that switches off the lights in the bedroom before walking and sitting cross-legged on chair at a desk covered in hundreds of papers. Shuyin slowly files through the papers until he finds one titled, "1000 Words".

The desk is Lenne's work area where she writes all her new lyrics. Shuyin, like a good man, reads through everything she writes without complaint. The sheet he had picked up only had the first verse written:

"_I know that you're hiding things_

_Using gentle words to shelter me_

_Your words were like a dream,_

_But dreams could never fool me_

_Not that easily"._

Shuyin flips the sheet over to find her first ideas of the tune behind the words. He reaches under the desk and pulls out a red guitar in a slightly distorted shape. Trying the tune a few time he looks back at the bedroom to make sure Lenne's asleep as he changes a few notes to make the sound more melodic and peaceful. Quite a few hours pass like this before Shuyin gently sets everything back how it was and pulls off his jacket to hang by the door. 

Before entering the bedroom he types in a security code on a panel by the door, he installed it for Lenne's safety when he was away at a Blitz tournament or at war. Opening the door to the bedroom he unstraps his armor and leaves it in a heap on the floor along with his boots and lastly pulls off his glove that covers his left hand. Buried beneath this glove was a glinting golden band that had gone unnoticed for almost a year now.

Shuyin changes out of his uniform into a simple pair of pants and looks back at his sleeping bride. Lenne lays motionless with her hair fanned out around her head like a halo, her gentle fingers twisted in the mahogany silk. Shuyin blinks and stares over at his sword leaning against the wall as if at any moment the peace of the nation could be shattered. He turns his head away and looks at himself in the mirror with a feeling of emptiness filling him.

Beyond his azure eyes and kind exterior he knows what lies hidden, something so horrible that not even he alone can understand its horror and pain. It is the very thing that has led him to war, to the bloodlust in battle, the very thing that forced away his innocence in life. Shuyin knew he was a murderer and it was clear it disturbed him.

He looks around franticly for a few seconds then quickly drapes a cloth over the mirror before turning and staring at his beloved. An image of a woman killed by his gun in a battle only a few days before haunts him and he can't help but see Lenne being killed in the same way. He immediately shakes his head and stares back at her with a look of fear and sorrow. Shuyin whispers, "I will protect you…I won't let you die, I promise."

The sudden noise stirs Lenne and Shuyin immediately turns to silence once again to stare at her as her soft misty eyes open. She arches her back letting out a quiet yawn as she stretches. He smiles awkwardly as she lays and blinks at him sleepily. Finally he whispers, "Sorry," he turns to stare out the window at the ocean, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Lenne reaches out her hand, "Come sleep, you need it."

Shuyin smiles back at her kindly, "You need it more."

Her violet eyes look off past him as she sits up and sighs, "Shuyin, sleep." Slowly obeying his wife's command he walks over and crawls onto the bed to smile at her as she gives a fake glare. Lenne grabs a pillow and muffles Shuyin as she lays back down curling up into a ball.

Shuyin lifts the corner of the pillow to stare lovingly at Lenne. Wrapping his arms around her he whispers, "I love you."

Lenne pats his fluffy hair and answers back, "I love you too. Night."

Shuyin nuzzles her neck before shifting to use her shoulder as a pillow where he smiles at her sweetly. She strokes his soft blonde hair slowly putting him to sleep like a child. A gentle smile forms on Lenne's lips and she whispers, "I'll miss you when you're gone." Barely five minutes later she's fast asleep.

Guardian and Summoner, Husband and Wife, Shuyin and Lenne; both lay in peace this night. When dawn arises, a new setting will begin and so will the tragedy of Shuyin and Lenne.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

_The setting the same as before Shuyin's eyes open lazily and he casts a glance around the still dark room. He rolls over to reach for Lenne to find nothing's there. He stands up and carefully looks around softly calling, "Lenne?" No reply comes and he gets a slightly concerned look. A few moments pass and suddenly the walls of the room fade out into darkness. _

_The still tired young man recoils in confusion and spins around, trying to figure out where he is. After a few minutes pass a large circular disk appears around his feet, then spreads out into a platform covered in symbols of Yevon. He strides over to edge and stares down at the vast blackness. He slowly gets down on his knees and looks around once more._

_Out of curiosity he runs his hand slowly across the icy smooth surface. Shuyin's ears suddenly catch the sound of running and he stands to look around. A huge whirring sound startles him and he spins to face an enormous skull shaped machina with eyes reflecting the colors of fire. The walls slowly begin to glow with symbols of Yevon and Shuyin looks around wildly as he hears gunshots and screaming off in the distance._

_Lenne's voice suddenly penetrates the sound of gunshots, "YOU NEED TO STOP!" He turns to face her as her fear stricken form comes into view. Her arms out wide she yells once again, "You need to stop!"_

_Shuyin holds out his arms and lets her run straight into his chest shaking in fear. Her glassy violet eyes look up at him and as if in some way begging for forgiveness. Not a moment later soldiers of Bevelle storm in and immediately ready their rifles and assume a battle formation. Shuyin glares at them evilly then turns to Lenne; a single tear rolls down her cheek and she smiles as best she can._

_Shuyin's eyes widen as the sound of gunshots ring through the air. Lenne gives a strange sigh and falls against his chest, immediately limp. He stands there shaking, his blue eyes glossed over in fear. "L-Lenne?" he stammers, "Lenne, answer me." Shuyin's face contorts into anguish, "Lenne…"_

"LENNE!" Shuyin bolts upright, almost knocking his wife over. She blinks oddly at her heavily breathing Shuyin and gently lays a gloved hand on his shoulder. He lets out a long deep breath casting a glance around at the once again normal bedroom. He quickly looks over at Lenne and wraps his arms around her tightly whispering over and over one word: Never.

Lenne softly strokes his hair, "Good morning to you too," is all she says.

Shuyin, slowly relaxing again looks at her soft features with a guilty stare, "Sorry," he whines quietly and lays his hands against her arm.

She blinks a few times before asking, "You okay?"

Shuyin fakes a smile, "As long as you are."

Lenne brushes her cinnamon silky hair from her face, "I could be better, but I'm more worried about you sleepyhead; you've woken up like this for three times now…and shouldn't you be getting ready?" Shuyin glances at the clock hanging on the wall and cringes.

Lenne smiles and takes a step back as Shuyin rushes past her and in a blur of events gathers everything he'll need for the trip to Mt. Gagazette. The songstress stares down at the wooden floor for a few seconds before looking up at Shuyin standing before her in his full uniform once again. Her happiness fades and she folds her arms over her stomach sighing.

Her love's eyes stare at her in a strange form of pity and he starts to walk towards her. Shuyin's now armored hands rest gently on her shoulders and he nuzzles her neck whispering, "I won't let you die, Lenne, I promise. I will protect you"

Lenne's violet eyes turn to the door and she stares while saying, "Shuyin I'm worried about you…"

He strokes the soft skin over her shoulders and whispers, "Don't be, I'll be fine," he knows in his mind he isn't but tries to keep her spirits up by saying nothing about it.

Lenne bites her lip and finally says, "I'll go as far as the temple, but any farther and I won't be able to take it; I hate you having to leave like this." Shuyin gives her a guilty face and gently picks up her hand and starts leading her towards the door. She asks, "Aren't you going to eat?" her words are desperate as if trying to keep him there a little longer.

Shuyin's blonde hair shakes back and forth as he strides towards the door, "I don't have enough time, Lenne; I'm sorry." Lenne makes a worried face as he opens the door and continues to lead her off down the street.

Lenne watches Shuyin's unreadable expression as they walk, a few times he turns to her and gives her a worried smile. Her eyes grow watery as they continue on and she bites down on her lip as the temple comes into view. Once standing in front of the grand stairs that lead to the entryway Shuyin slows to a halt and turns to his wife with a pure smile trying to comfort her.

Lenne looks around at the still waking city and then the sun that was still rising. She leans closer to Shuyin's armored chest and whispers, "Please, a few minutes…it won't be long, promise." Shuyin makes no objection as his wife lifts his hand and leads him around the temple stairs to a large cliff overlooking the sea.

The water glows a radiant pink in the early morning sun and the clouds the same hues. Lenne's smile has completely gone now and she softly asks, "What are these dreams that make you worry about me?"

Shuyin looks off at the water saying, "Do you have to ask this now? We should be saying our goodbyes."

She shakes her head, her earrings making soft muted clinking sounds as she whispers, "I just care about you, that's all."

Shuyin reaches out and grabs her hand and says with a gentle smile, "I know."

Lenne's eyes turn away and she pulls her hand back to her side continuing, "I'm worried what you might be seeing, Shuyin."

Shuyin wrinkles his nose and looks down at a flower at his feet. "I can't explain it to you, Lenne; I don't even know what it is."

Her eye narrow, "It? So it's something you see?"

He shakes his blonde hair, "All I know is that it's a machina…I swear I'll protect you from whatever it is. You have my solemn vow."

Lenne rubs at the back of her neck staring at the ground, "But why is it that you wake up screaming every night? Shuyin, I fear for you, just tell me what's wrong."

Azure eyes staring straight into hers, Shuyin whispers, "I won't say it now, this shouldn't be a sad parting. We should be happy, so I can't tell you now, I don't want you to worry."

"But Shuyin, I do."

He takes a few steps back and stares off at the rolling waves of the morning sea. He finally says softly, "Lenne, because I care I'm not gonna tell you now."

Lenne sighs and a long silence ensues. Finally she steps closer and whispers, "And because I care, I have to tell you something."

The clouds overhead roll in layers of purple and gold now as the sun gets higher, and the mist surrounding Zanarkand puts in an additional piece of the beauty. The flowers that surround young Shuyin and Lenne sway softly in the ocean breeze and Lenne's expression slowly turns to one of pride and slight happiness.

She whispers, "Shuyin," he takes a step closer concerned what she might say, "you're a father." His head tilts forward slightly to hide his face.

Lenne bites her lip and is about to say something when he asks, "You serious?" Lenne nods slightly confused if her husband is angered or pleased. A few moments pass before Shuyin finally turns to her and smiles, "Lenne," he gives a slight pause as he walks up and wraps his arms around her, "that's great." He reaches out and gently presses his lips against hers.

Lenne strokes his silky hair once again, admiring the sunlit gleam reflecting back into her eyes. She whispers softly, "You've made a lot of promises, can you actually keep them?"

Shuyin kisses the back of her hands lightly and answers, "I pray I can, I really do; and now not just your sake, but our baby too." The uniformed Shuyin stares down at his gloved hands with a halfhearted smile and says, "I'll fight all my battles in your name for the protection of my new family."

A saddened sound comes from Lenne as she stares into his glowing eyes. Shuyin's eyes narrow and on her face a small frown etches its way across her lips. He's about to ask her what's wrong when she retorts, "I don't want you to kill people in my name, Shuyin; I don't want you to go to war, I don't want you to die. This isn't just for me, like you said it's for our baby too; if you die what'll that leave for the child? A Songstress mother who's barely ever going to be home, I cannot consider that being a good parent, Shuyin."

Shuyin sighs and looks off at the almost completely visible sun, a hint of guilt in his wisdom-filled eyes. "No, our baby will have a Summoner mother who an always help and a Warrior father to keep them both safe and in a good home." His words ring through Lenne's head as he stands there in silence. Nothing stirs for a minute or so until finally Shuyin says with a loving smile, "I'm not going to abandon you…not you or the baby. I will come back, you know I will."

The wind rustles the Summoner's hair as she finally looks up and smiles as Shuyin starts to walk off, "If I whistle, will you still come running?"

Shuyin turns half around, making sure not to step on a flower as he smiles and calls back, "I'll do my best."

She crosses her blue-gloved arms and yells back, "What if that's not good enough?"

The weary azure eyes of Shuyin glance back and he flatly states, "Then I'll just have to try harder." Lenne folds her hands across her belly and she smiles.

Shuyin turns one last time and waves awkwardly before turning and walking back to the street. After he's gone, and it's already too late Lenne says softly, "Bye." She rocks back and forth slowly listening to the sounds of the waking city of Zanarkand as they drown out the footsteps of her love. She strokes her belly and whispers, "Its just you and me now." Her violet eyes turn to the sky and she lets a series of tears roll off her cheeks.

She quietly prays, "Please, God, let him come home."


	3. Chapter 3

**TT I'm sorry everyone, I haven't been working on this in…well….almost a year now…I'M SO SORRY!**

**Anyway, here's chapter three:**

…………………

His blonde hair hidden under a strange military helmet, Shuyin sits with hundreds, if not thousands, of young men and women and machina fighting for Zanarkand. Directly next to him is a young and black ornately armored dragoon soldier. Wearily Shuyin's eyes turn to the little wyvern eating an apple at the young man's feat. The boy, noticing the sleepy azure eyes on his little friend asks Shuyin, "You've never seen a wyvern have you?"

Shuyin turns to the boy and shyly shakes his head whispering, "I only know machina…"

The dragoon shrugs innocently and strokes the scaly head of his wyvern saying, "You should really get out more."

"_I can't_" runs through Shuyin's intricate mind, "_I have a family to protect._"

For barely more than a moment, the delicate balance of Shuyin is thrown off. Awkwardly, with nothing more to say, he stands and walks away oddly tensed at the thought of his lover all alone in the metropolis he calls home. The dragoon is clearly disturbed by the homesick warrior and tends to his small wyvern.

The confused blitz player and warrior treads through the ranks of the army and slowly comes to the realization everyone here has taken the life of men, women, and worst of all, children of Bevelle. His thin body trembles and he begins to sprint through the new-fallen crystallized snow. He runs for fear the other soldiers will see him beginning to let tears fall, and the strange air about them all seeming to scream out in fiery hate the names of the ones they've killed.

A very young Mithra white mage notices him from her tent and lets her silvery eyes follow him through the camp. Every now and then he'll trip over someone or something, pathetically unable to stop for reasons locked inside his unstable cerebrum. She asks her commanding officer for permission to check on him, and granted the permission her gentle hands set down the medications she's been storing into potions and phoenix-downs. Carefully and without notice the white-headed Mithra girl begins to follow the distraught Shuyin who has finally collapsed on an icy cliff near the edge of the camp.

Soft and hazy, the azure spheres in Shuyin's eyes trace out the iced over and white spires of South Zanarkand, long since evacuated by its inhabitants. Off in the distance beyond the spires he makes out the thin blue-green outline of the ocean. More homesick than ever he stares down at his gloved palm and wearily raises his now pain-filled face to stare back at the pathetic army. Placing his palms on either side of his helmet, as if in pure disobedience to his commanding officer, he lifts his helmet off to stare at the frosting metal in hate.

The furry white mage Mithra's hand comes to rest on his shoulder; Shuyin gives no response to her for quite some time. A cloud passes through the camp and in the haze Shuyin hangs his head and shoves his helmet off the cliff, the defensive object echoes back as it clanks ungallantly against rocks until it wedges in between two a few hundred feet down.

"Was that necessary?" At the sound of a female voice, he finally looks up to the Mithra, immediately attempting to hide his face. Gracefully she droops to her knees and swings her tail too and fro, in its own way, her tail shows her concern. Caringly she runs her fingers through his icicle filled hair to move it from his dirt-stained face. She asks softly, "Are you ok? You don't look so good."

For the longest time they remain like this, as if frozen in time with the rest of the mysterious mountain until finally, "How long have we been here?"

Shuyin's question proves harder to answer than she initially considered, but finally she manages to come up with an approximate answer. "Six months, warrior."

Slightly angered he snaps, "How many casualties have we suffered?"

Uneasily she whispers, "About six million…"

Shuyin turns to her and shoves her hand away and growls out the question, "And how many does Bevelle hold captive?"

The Mithra's inability to answer causes Shuyin to rip off his chest-plate and leg armor. When she tries to warn him not to do so, he simply pulls off the rest and hands it all to her. She remains standing there unsure of what to do as he paces away, even farther out of the camp and into the misty morning clouds shrouding the mountain in shadow.

…………………………

Lenne sits uncomfortably at her work table with her head resting on the desk; her beautiful violet eyes are half open and lazily staring at a sphere recording Shuyin sent to her months ago. Ever since her lover went to the mountain peak, he hasn't been able to contact her, and she worries the absence of contact is because he may be dead. The days of her life have passed and she waits each morning for a pair of men in black to appear at her door and announce to her his death.

Her fragile body frame is thrown off now by a very large bump underneath her baggy nightshirt, which actually belongs to her loving Shuyin. She wears his shirts to remember the specific scent he carries, no matter what the media says about it, let alone he fact that she's pregnant now and there appears to be no father present. Every moment of her life is no longer her own, but for her baby and her prayers for her husband so far away to live and see their child grow. Even the lyrics she spends so much time writing now revolve around Shuyin and their unborn child.

The morning is still young and the sun's rays have barely reached into the depths of Zanarkand. Oddly there is a knock at the door that startles the young mother. She rises to her feet and walks to hesitantly stand behind the large door, knowing whatever lies on the other side can't possibly be good news for her. She cracks the door and stares out at the shadowy figure on the opposing side.

"So, you do live here." As the figure speaks she immediately opens the door to stare at them.

Her happiness is evident, but not fully shown as the large samurai enters into her home. His boots tread heavily past her until the man carefully sits in a chair across the room, draping a large red coat on the back of it. The large sword he carries rests against a nearby wall; still within his reach should it be needed.

Lenne glances out the door to make sure no one saw him enter and she carefully closes and locks it. Her eyes turn to rest on the man, he isn't much older than Shuyin, but a certain way about him says differently. His voice is deep and comforting to the young pregnant Lenne as he states, "Shuyin sent me. He's worried," without another word, he lies a sphere onto the table and leans back in the chair once again.

Still unsure she leans forward and asks, "Where did he send you from? And how long ago?"

The man laughs slightly, "The base of mount Gagazette three days; you thought he'd be dead didn't you?"

Her slender fingers fidget uneasily as she begins to reach for the sphere. Soft and nervous she looks up to the man's dark eyes and barely audible asks, "What is this?"

Stiffly the man rises and answers back, "Shuyin recorded it before they departed for the peak. He strictly said it was only to be viewed by you." Before she can respond he walks off into the kitchen and makes no signs of returning soon.

Following the curve of the sphere she activates it and watches as a strange scene unfolds. Her husband stands alone in a large cavern; all around him are icicles of unimaginable size. Shuyin's face looks tired and a fake smile is easily identified on his face as he says, "I know I won't be able to send you anything for the next few months, so I wanted to record this now."

He turns his face away from the sphere and stares off at something that can't be seen as he continues, "I just wanted to let you know I'm still alive out here, and no matter what they say, I am coming home for the birth of our child. If I can't keep any other promise, this I swear I will. I have to go now, but you know, if you whistle I'll be there." A real smile finally comes across his weary face.

Shuyin remains silent for a few seconds before he looks back to the sphere and gives a gentle, "I love you," letting the sphere turn off.

Her now saddened face looks towards the kitchen as her hands come to rest softly across her large belly. She hangs her head and lets her hair slide forward to hide her face as she grips the sphere tightly in her hands.

……………………………

Back up on the mountain top, Shuyin sits in a large snow bank shivering. His entire conscious mind is directed to his wife and child, despite the cold, and the fact that he can hear a small group of fellow soldiers calling out his name and searching for him. After quite some time, he can no longer take the cold and calls out, "I'm here."

At the affirmation of his position, the rest of his company slowly appears around him. Shuyin makes no effort to move and continues to sit there shivering until his commanding officer appears among the others and glares. Finally he stands, unwilling to salute or even attempt to show respect to this man.

"Why did you run off soldier?" he snaps.

Shuyin simply shivers in response and turns away only to get a metal plated fist bashed into his side. Tired, weak, and now in pain, Shuyin collapses without complaint and lies there in an eerie silence. His officer demands again, "Why did you run off soldier?"

Unwilling to respond Shuyin casts an icy glare in his commanding officer's direction. The man pays no heed to the look and kicks Shuyin's side causing him to bare his teeth and stiffen in pain. Ignoring Shuyin's apparent pain he kicks him twice more before growling out the command, "Take him to a white mage."

Immediately the others respond and pick up the limp Shuyin and carry him down a slight decline back to the main road to the base camp. Much to the young blonde's dismay they take him to the same Mithra girl that he earlier had duped his things on. The girl shows no signs of anger or annoyance; she simply pulls out a couple potions and smiles as the others leave.

Her cat-like ears twitch each time he breathes and finally she says inquiringly, "You don't show it, but I saw when you took off your gloves earlier...a gold ring and I was wondering if you really are-"

"Married? Yes," he takes no hesitation and leaves her in an awkward silence. Shuyin's angered eyes look away from her and he refuses to listen to her.

After a long while she finally forces him to move his arms enough that she can use the potions in her hand as she asks, "Why did you come to the front lines anyway? Most who are married wouldn't attempt such a thing."

Shuyin remains silent until she's used enough potions to entirely nullify his pain; he returns the answer, "I didn't have a choice."

Her ears go back and she gives a look of pity. "I'm sorry," is all she can say.

Warily he glances up at the strange Mithra girl and takes her in confusingly, watching her tail sway softly as she heals him. He sighs and closes his eyes for a few seconds when suddenly he realizes, "The machina," he tries to sit up, but the Mithra refuses to let him.

Her furry hands are soft, but strong and finally he lies back, obeying the strange healer. As kindly as everything else she speaks, she asks, "What about the machina?"

The Blitz-ball player's eyes flash oddly and he whispers, "Do you know if a machina party was sent out towards the south-east?"

About to speak she pauses to think when suddenly she whispers, "They're attacking the heart of Zanarkand with our own machina."

……………………………

**That's chapter three everybody… and yes, that is Auron who appears in the middle of the chapter, he's got a big part in this fan fic! **

**I'm not sure when I'll get chapter four done, so I can't give any promises TT**


	4. Chapter 4

**So hey…it's been like forever since I updated…. but I figure I should at least attempt to finish this fan fic, even if it takes forever.**

**Anyhoo…this is chapter 4…um…enjoy I guess.**

………………………

Shuyin bolts upright in spite of the Mithra's protests, "We have to tell the higher ups about this," he announces.

Icily the Mithra girl states, "They won't care, they never do."

Reflecting her cat-like face, Shuyin's azure eyes force her into a feeling of regret as he hisses back, "If they won't do anything I will." Rising to his feet he glances at his wedding band while whispering, "I made a promise and I'm going to keep it."

With a momentary burst of confidence the young white mage grips onto his arm with furry hands. She pleads, "Take me with you; I can't stand to see Zanarkand get attacked by its own creations."

The snow outside the Mithra healer's tent picks up and both watch as it becomes almost impossible to see. Shuyin warily looks back at the young "girl" standing beside him with a death grip onto his armor-plated wrist. Her fur is light and she seems to be rather small; _'she can't be much older than Lenne_' he thinks. In her eyes is the power that her physical body lacks, and the warrior side of Shuyin's personality immediately recognizes it: The Spirit of Valor.

Glancing to the snow falling at a steadily increasing rate he testifies, "We're going…Now."

In slight confusion she stumbles after him out into the blizzard. She calls out, "We'll be considered AWOL if we run off like this."

"I have to stop those Machina."

"You're insane! We can't do it alone."

With a smirk barely seen through the snow he growls, "Then you don't know who I am."

……………………………

Auron treads past Lenne cautiously, so as not to wake her, while he once again heads into the kitchen. Without a sound he goes about cooking up some food he'd dug out of her cabinets. Eagerly the young man looks for a tray of some kind; he finds it resting above a jar of strange greenish tinted cookies. Still careful, he prepares a plate of food that looks aesthetically pleasing and even puts a flower at the top of the tray for good measure.

He gently lies the tray on the table in front of the napping mother-to-be and smiles at her while pushing his sunglasses farther up the bridge of his nose in satisfaction. With a slight groan and a yawn she opens one eye to stare at the young Samurai now sitting nearby. Opening her other eye she stretches and yawns again. Finally noticing the tray she sits up and asks, "What's this?"

Auron bows politely, "A meal for you, you haven't been eating well lately, Lady Summoner," he states.

Lenne shifts uneasily, "Don't call me Summoner, Auron. You're my friend, not a servant." She lowers her head with a smile, "Thank you though."

Auron chuckles and sits down across from her, "You're very welcome."

All is peaceful for quite some time and the two share slight conversation in attempts to lighten the stressful conditions that surround them and the entire world. Lenne's purple eyes glance delicately out the window where they seem to be frozen in place as she watches a large machina grow steadily closer out at sea. Her stare catches Auron's attention and he rises stiffly to walk to the window and see what the machina is.

Worriedly Lenne asks, "Is it one of ours?"

Deciphering the markings on the side Auron makes no response until Lenne presses a hand against his shoulder, "…No it's not."

She goes stiff, "We're being attacked by sea?!"

Auron stares a few moments longer before he quickly backs away from the window. Turning to Lenne he states, "We have to get you out of here-"

"We have to tell the police." Lenne rushes towards a phone. With a glare Auron begins looking for something causing Lenne further distress. She follows him around trying not to sound afraid, "What are you doing? Help me find a phone," she glances around frantically.

Auron finally finds what he's searching for and gently hands her the staff she uses for summoning. She continues to run around, flustered, in search of her phone as Auron picks up his sword and coat.

Lenne spins and grips her staff tightly as she hisses, "We need to do something, or tell someone, or something!"

Pulling his coat on Auron whispers, "I want you to get a hold of the other Summoners by any means necessary and bring them to the docks...I'll meet you down there as soon as I can."

She throws her arms in the air, still exasperated, "What about you?!"

He rests his sword on his shoulder as he smiles, "I've got an old friend who may be of some assistance."

………………………………………….

Hurriedly the Mithra undoes a series of chains binding a machina used for snow travel. Shuyin stands, his longsword drawn, nearby in case anyone should decide to try and stop them. He calls back while shielding his eyes from stinging snow particles, "How much longer, Kataa?"

The Mithra swats her hair from her face and glares through the blizzard, "I'm a White Mage, not a Thief!" Exasperated she continues on desperately working to free the machina despite the freezing metal.

Shuyin smiles to himself and finally goes to aid her. He picks up her staff and places it in her arms while pointing to where he was standing and stating, "Go stand over there and bash anyone's skull in if they try to interfere; that shouldn't be too hard."

Kataa gawks for a moment before stomping over to stand in the semi-sheltered outcropping to stare around the corner. She grumbles a bit then looks back at the Warrior as in one simple swing he shatters the section of the chains that hold the machina. Shuyin looks up and studies the area for a moment when he then suddenly calls out, "Behind you!"

Kataa spins and manages to bring her staff down on someone's head with a quite loud "thunk." She cringes as the young man drops to the ground, a large dent in his helmet. Shuyin hurries to her side and blinks at her in annoyance. "When I tell you stop anyone from bothering us I would think it possible you watch for people and warn me when they come." Snow quickly begins to coat the pair as well as ice.

Kataa blushes slightly and her tail swings playfully, "Sorry about that."

Biting his lip Shuyin ruffles her hair then walks over and climbs onto the machina's control seat. He pats behind him with a weird smile. Ears drooping, Kataa jumps up behind him and asks, "What about that guy-"

Shuyin brushes ice of the gauges as he starts the machina shouting over the roar of the engine, "He'll be fine unless you cracked his skull," after a slight pause he continues, "If that happened then he's dead." She gives a distressed look, but Shuyin doesn't give her a chance to complain and drives the machina straight over a cliff sending them crashing into the dark icy abyss below.

Kataa holds back a scream as they go careening down the mountainside, somehow managing to stay mostly upright while being bombarded with rocks, ice, and snow that burn their skin. Shuyin's face is twisted into a snarl as he does everything he can to keep the machina under control. Near a mountain ledge the machina tips and falls until they hit another ledge where it rolls and throws both Hume and Mithra into the nearby snow only a few feet away from a rock surface.

Wildly Kataa thrashes about in the snow until she's standing upright. With a growl she brushes insurmountable amounts of ice off herself before she begins searching angrily for the Zanarkand Warrior who got her this far. Upon finding Shuyin stumbling around on the rock ledge she stomps up to him, spins him around, and slaps him as hard as she can manage through the blinding snow. She yells, "YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE GONNA GET US KILLED!"

Cold and now with a hurting cheek, Shuyin backs away from the angry White Mage and stares down the cliff again; an updraft blows ice into his eyes and he recoils. Before he tries to speak he waits as respectfully as he can for Kataa's rant to end. Finally realizing he's silent Kataa stops the barrage of words and gives him a questioning look. Shuyin's crystally eyes lock hers and he gestures down the cliff, "It's only about a mile now. We'll have to go on foot," he gives a brief pause, "and that really wasn't necessary." He rubs at his cheek and pouts at Kataa pitifully.

After determining the quickest and safest way down they both sprint off into the darkening blizzard around them.

……………………………….

**Well…there be Chapter four….TT gosh my grammar is so bad!!!! **

**XD anyhoo, I'm already working on chapter five and it should be up next week….I hope. **


	5. Chapter 5

**So here it goes, darlings, I apologize that it's been so long!**

…...

Lenne rushes franticly after Auron as he exits her home. She hurriedly grabs at one of her silken dresses, and replaces her lover's shirt with the dress and cries, "Please, slow down!" He pays her no heed and continues on walking; his gait has a light limp. Exasperated she lunges after him out the door, cork sandals held firmly in one hand, and her staff in the other, causing her knuckles to turn white. "Would you wait-"

She staggers and falls against his shoulder, her face rubbing against the heavy canvas-like material of his scarlet coat. The man holds her wrist to stop her from falling any further and helps her right herself before announcing, "There's no time to slow down. Contact the other summoners and meet me at the docks."

Finally she stops pursuing him and looks around, completely at a loss of what to do. In times like this Shuyin had always been there doing something to make her sure that nothing would happen to them, but now that protection was gone, and he would not be able to help her. Watching the people pass by, giving her looks of disapproval, she falters in what to do once again and scans the cobblestone street for Auron; he was nowhere to be seen. Her lips form a thin line- none of these people knew what was coming.

In a final assessment of the situation she pulls on her sandals and runs further into the city, her feet carry her to a shop she knows has a phone and she begins begging for allowance to use it. From the moment she crashes through the door, the people assume she is in labor, much to her dismay. Multiple people offer to call the nearest white mage or clinic, but still she insists on using the phone trying to force them away. Standing there, looking disheveled and horrified, she slams her staff on the counter, "Enemy machina are about to attack, and I need that phone- PLEASE!" The shopkeeper looks at her as a woman insane, holding her hands close to her chest in surprise, and a tinge of fear.

"Wh-what?"

Lenne repeats her words again, "There are enemy machina coming in from the sea." She was clearly on edge, her eyes glassy and the violet hue dulled. Sighing she casts her gaze to the black sphere-like object resting behind the counter, a "phone." "Please, I have to tell the other summoners. Everyone will die if we don't do something!" At this the woman surrenders the black sphere, and Lenne immediately sends a message out to the police who will in turn contact the nearest military units.

Feeling rushed by the now frantic faces around her, she requests the transferrer to connect her to all the summoners throughout the city. Now, you see, black spheres or, "phones," in Zanarkand work more like a series of radios rather than telephones. Black spheres had the ability to be linked to others and could link to a limitless amount of them at once; in other words, they were not for conversation, they were made specifically for sending messages one way. Lenne was currently on a sphere that was being linked to around a hundred or so others.

The sphere starts to glow gold, the signal for her to speak, and she announces, "Summoners of Zanarkand, the war is moving, we are being invaded by sea. I repeat we are being invaded by sea. We must hold them back, reach the harbor as-" The sphere cuts off suddenly, followed by a thunderous boom somewhere outside. Lenne drops the sphere, fear-stricken, and stares as a building crumbles and a fireball streaks into the air; firey debris rains down on the people in the immediate vicinity. Everyone in the store erupts into terror, racing for the door, driven mad by fear.

Lenne covers her head and sinks to the floor, cowering as the people rush in all directions around her, all shrieking inaudible words. She huddles against the shop counter, praying no one will trample her and her unborn baby. Without realizing it, she finds herself screaming Shuyin's name and nearly begins to cry; she was alone now, and she knew without him she was a coward. She reaches up and gropes blindly for her staff on the counter top. Her fingers brush the metal and she grasps at it- someone slams into her arm in their flight, less than a fraction of a second later, and a searing pain shoots through it, translating all the way up to her shoulder and straight down her back. Hurriedly she tries again, her fingers numb, and barely manages to get her hand around it.

With the staff at her disposal she stands, careful to dodge the few people still trying to flee, and sprints out the door into the street. Her arm remains numb and the pain to move it is unbearable, all too late she realizes her shoulder is dislocated. Another explosion wracks the earth, much too close for her comfort, and she staggers in the aftershock, crying out in surprise. Another wave of people fly by her, shoving her to and fro; she pushes against them to reach an alley where she can rest, fleeing was not important now- she had to get to the harbor. Soot and fire fall from the sky like rain, buildings everywhere were on fire or collapsed altogether, everyone had splotches of the black substance all over them.

Time was running out, the bombs the machina were firing were meant to do drastic damage, and two had already flushed out most of the district; other, much smaller, explosions alerted her that there was more than bombs being fired, the rapid succession of the hits proved the origin was from a large gatling-gun of some sort. Lenne rails in pain thinking, "_I have to fix it._" She takes in a sharp breath and jams her eyes shut, slamming her shoulder against the stone wall. She screams. Her blood churns from the horrific sensation and she doubles over, fighting the urge to thrash about and vomit. Violet eyes wide in fear, she rubs at her shoulder; it was back in place, but a horrible sting remained.

Minutes pass like this, with her doubled over, trying to mentally reclaim herself with the assurance that Shuyin will come for her in time. Finally she slumps against the wall and forces herself to stand, Auron was counting on her. Stone scrapes along her back as she gets up and tries to breathe, still wincing from the throbbing in her shoulder. Closing her eyes she sorts through her thought patterns and begins a summon. Writhing in her mind she finds the image of Ifrit and allows him to be summoned. He claws his way from her subconscious and howls. Light glows around her, creating the grid that frees the aeons, and then begins circulating, along with multiple other smaller versions of it around her. The light grows brighter, to a point almost blinding, and Ifrit tears his way up out of the earth in the immense light, still roaring.

Lenne leans against his warm ebony fur, completely drained of her energy. Ifrit nuzzles her affectionately, then turns his back to her, allowing her to climb on and cling to him as best she can. She mutters under her breath, "the harbor..." too exhausted to say any more. The aeon shifts his weight impatiently as a bomb goes off in the distance; that was a third. Finally he lunges forward, running through the streets, jumping over crowds, and across rooftops whenever necessary.

-----

Through the snowstorm Shuyin continued on, the Mithra girl still in tow close behind him. His ocean filled eyes constantly scanned the iced paths below theirs, searching for the machina that had been stolen from them. Kataa watches his expression range from agony to flat out hate; she had no idea why he wanted her with him. The storm here was worse than on the mountaintop, which had been mostly above the clouds, this was directly inside the foggy, cotton-appearing objects. She yells above the roaring wind, "How far ahead do you think they've gone? They usually don't move this fast."

Shuyin glances back at her, his hair being thrown about in its half-frozen state. "They must be just around the curve of the mountain- we'll find them." His voice wavers; he was more worried about Lenne than how far ahead the machina were. Both sigh angrily and continue trudging through the thigh deep, heavy snow.

Kataa takes note that he was right about having to go on foot; the paths here were so narrow it would have been hard for them to even walk side by side. Her white-mage cloak flaps up in her face and she fights it back down, fastening it to her belt- her movement stops when her ears pick up the faint sound of a large bomb going off. "Shuyin…"

Having heard the sound himself he visibly pales. He lunges forward through the white icy mass, "Those were gunners I saw, not bombers- there are more on the other side of the city." Kataa has to try and sprint in his tracks to keep up with him in his frustration.

"We can't stop a machina that huge, and we'll never get there in time, you idiot." She growls.

"Shut up."

"I mean it, we'll both get killed."

He snaps, "I said shut up. Neither of us are dying." She glares and continues to allow him to drag her forward.

As soon as they reach the backside of the mountain, the glimpse of a band of animal-like machina rewards them. Shuyin drops her wrist and draws his sword, "Keep them from running," he shouts as he crashes through icicles to reach them. She panics and runs in his wake, rushing to think of a spell to stop them. Hurriedly she decides to cast a simple paralyze spell, doing her best to focus on them as she sprints, barely able to see her targets. She looks clearly relieved when she sees five or six frozen in place. Shuyin cries back at her, "Stop the others, do whatever it takes." Desperate to catch her breath, she nods and jumps up onto the icy rock wall that is the mountain, and begins jumping from ledge to ledge to catch them faster.

Shuyin's sword engulfs in flames as he comes down on the first machina, it was small, clearly not the control; his attack burns through it in an instant; two more follow in its demise. Not wanting to waste all his energy on these, he shoves the rest off the path while they remain paralyzed, sending them careening to a rock bed hundreds of feet below. Gasping for breath in the thin air he gazes to where Kataa was only minutes before. He swings his sword, sending out a fire spell across the snow in front of him, instantly evaporating most of it. It would refreeze quickly.

Still out of breath he runs forward, watching his footing on the flash-frozen area he just cleared. The Mithra was sitting upon a rock, casting spell after spell of Holy, Dia, and Paralyze on the machina below her- she looked tired and in a super-focused state. Shuyin desperately rushes in to her aid; there were around sixty machina in all, and these were considerably stronger than the others she had stopped, thus the reason it was so hard to keep them paralyzed. Unsure if the fall would destroy them, sword attacks mix with his red mage abilities as he begins knocking them off one or two at a time.

Both fight to keep them from awakening, and it was getting harder. Quite suddenly they all stop working and fall into the ice and snow; Shuyin and Kataa stop just as suddenly, not knowing what to expect. A man, dressed clearly as a soldier of Bevelle, jumps from the control seat of a machina, he was alone. Using barely a second of hesitation, Shuyin runs headlong into combat, his sword glowing from the fiery magic about it. The Mithra, however, realizes this is a dreadful mistake, and takes in a quick, panicked breath. "Black mage!"

Shuyin hears her too late, and has a burst of purple and black matter fly into his face, slamming him to the ground in dismay. He was pinned- gravity was, quite literally, working its magic. Kataa throws herself from the cliffside, twisting in midair, to latch onto the black mage. A raged hiss escapes her the moment before she locks her jaws down on the man's shoulder. The man reels, trying to shove the Mithra woman away, his magic momentarily delayed. Managing to break through his invisible bonds, Shuyin rolls and rushes the man again, this time knowing he was distracted. Somewhere far off another bomb sounded.

The sword runs through the black mage with enough force to send him nearly off the cliff edge- Kataa along with him. Shuyin latches his unused hand onto her belt in a frantic attempt to keep her from slipping from the iced edge, the black mage was determined to take them down with him. All three begin to slide from the cliff edge, the Mithra in a full-blown panic, the rapid drop staring her down. Whipping his sword from the man's body, he tries to use it as a brace against a rock to keep them from falling further; the mage was still clinging to the Mithra-girl's legs as the supports of rock and ice beneath his feet finally vanished. The sudden jerk of the extra weight tore at the muscles in the blond's arm, and it ripped at him to the point of silent biting at the thin air. Kataa shrieked and flung her lower limbs about in attempts to drop the enemy black mage away- though mortally wounded he refused to fall to his death just yet.

Shuyin clung to his sword, momentarily jammed between a grouping of snow-covered rocks, gasping and fighting to lessen the pull on his arm. A decade passed in those few short seconds before the mage fell, and when he finally let go a wash of flame enveloped the cat-like female. Immediately she was flung into the snow and rolled- much of her fur, however, was still heavily blackened in areas- by Shuyin, whose arm was rendered close to useless for the moment as the muscle spasmed angrily at his use of it. Affirming the damage was not excessive, Shuyin rushes to the cliff edge again to see where the black mage landed, and that he indeed was dead. As expected the man was deceased, impaled, in fact, on a stone spire far below.

Kataa shudders and wails, "You almost let him burn me alive!"

He glances back at her, his arm stiff, "Well at least you didn't fall. How was I to know he still had enough energy to cast the damn thing?!" He glares, his irises paling.

Kataa sits up slowly, holding in her further comments to maintain the momentary peace between them. The third bomb reverberates and both stare uselessly in the direction of Zanarkand; time was not on their side. Not at all.

…**.....**

**Sorry it took me so long to update, everyone! I've been working on this for a while, and I'm never exactly happy with it, so I figured I might as well just post it for the sake of making sure you all know that I do get your messages, and that I am listening!!! I do live! Not dead yet! **

**So. Here she be. Hope you all find it satisfactory for the time being. Suggestions are welcome...and appearances of other characters from the other Final Fantasy games is a possibility, if anyone so desires a special appearance of their personal favorite, of course. **

**That's all for now, I suppose. Oh! And if anyone thinks I should edit some of the earlier chapters I completely understand your wishes...Message me if you've got requests or suggestions. ^_^**


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